Waterbirds in the UK presents the results of the annual BTO/RSPB/JNCC Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) report. Since 2022, Waterbirds in the UK is also the primary reporting mechanism for BTO/JNCC/NatureScot Goose and Swan Monitoring Programme (GSMP) results.
The report provides a single, comprehensive source of information on the current status and distribution of waterbirds in the UK for those interested in the conservation of the populations of these species and the wetland sites they use.
Waterbirds in the UK 2024/25
Key stories from the 2024/25 report include:
- An overview of our wintering gull populations
- A report on the additional spring count of Pink-footed Geese
- The latest papers and results from the Wetland Bird Survey and Goose and Swan Monitoring Programme.
- PDFs of current and past editions are available.
- Further WeBS results are available on WeBS Report Online.
- Additional publications relating to results from the GSMP are on the GSMP Newsletters and reports page.
- Prior to 2005 Wetland Bird Survey reports were titled Wildfowl and Wader Counts.
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Waterbirds in the UK 2024/25
Author:
Published: Winter 2026
Waterbirds in the UK provides a single, comprehensive source of information on the current status and distribution of waterbirds in the UK for those interested in the conservation of the populations of these species and the wetland sites they use. Key stories from the 2024/25 report include an overview of our wintering gull populations, as well as the latest papers and results from the Wetland Bird Survey and Goose and Swan Monitoring Programme. The report, published on 16 April 2026, is this year’s annual report and official statistic for the BTO/RSPB/JNCC Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) and the BTO/JNCC/NatureScot Goose and Swan Monitoring Programme (GSMP). It presents and analyses data about the UK’s wintering waterbird species, collected by 4,000 dedicated volunteers across the UK. Both WeBS and GSMP have robust, long-term datasets that map the changing population size and distribution of the UK’s internationally important wintering waterbirds like ducks, geese, swans and waders. As our waders and wildfowl continue to adapt to a changing climate and other threats like disease, Waterbirds in the UK provides essential data about their movements and distribution. WeBS and GSMP are both vital components of the international collaborative effort to monitor these species on a flyway scale and inform future conservation decisions. Read and download the reportView comprehensive results in the WeBS Report Online More information on the results and methods
16.04.26
Reports Waterbirds in the UK
Waterbirds in the UK 2023/24
Author:
Published: 2025
The report provides a single, comprehensive source of information on the current status and distribution of waterbirds in the UK for those interested in the conservation of the populations of these species and the wetland sites they use. Key stories from this report include more updates on avian influenza affecting migratory Barnacle Goose and Mute Swan, as well as a focus on the latest WeBS Alerts, looking at how wintering waterbirds are doing in protected areas. View the press release for this report
22.05.25
Reports Waterbirds in the UK
Waterbirds in the UK 2022/23
Author:
Published: Winter 2024
It provides a single, comprehensive source of information on the current status and distribution of waterbirds in the UK for those interested in the conservation of the populations of these species and the wetland sites they use. Data from this edition of Waterbirds in the UK provide further evidence that wintering ducks, geese, swans and waders are adapting to climate change by altering their migration.
25.04.24
Reports Waterbirds in the UK
Waterbirds in the UK 2021/22
Author:
Published: Winter 2023
Waterbirds in the UK presents the results of the annual Wetland Bird Survey Report. It provides a single, comprehensive source of information on the current status and distribution of waterbirds in the UK for those interested in the conservation of the populations of these species and the wetland sites they use.
27.04.23
Reports Waterbirds in the UK
Waterbirds in the UK 2019/20
Author:
Published: 2021
Waterbirds in the UK presents the results of the annual Wetland Bird Survey Report. It provides a single, comprehensive source of information on the current status and distribution of waterbirds in the UK for those interested in the conservation of the populations of these species and the wetland sites they use.
15.04.21
Reports Waterbirds in the UK
Waterbirds in the UK 2018/19
Author:
Published: 2020
Waterbirds in the UK presents the results of the annual Wetland Bird Survey Report. It provides a single, comprehensive source of information on the current status and distribution of waterbirds in the UK for those interested in the conservation of the populations of these species and the wetland sites they use.
16.05.20
Reports Waterbirds in the UK
Waterbirds in the UK 2017/18
Author:
Published: 2019
Waterbirds in the UK presents the summarised results of the annual WeBS report, and full data available via the WeBS Report Online. It provides a single, comprehensive source of information on the current status and distribution of waterbirds in the UK for those interested in the conservation of the populations of these species and the wetland sites they use.
16.05.19
Reports Waterbirds in the UK
